The ballistic threshold velocity V50 is defined as the velocity at which a projectile penetrates a material 50% of the time. Knowing V50 is beneficial when designing a structure that can adequately withstand a ballistic impact from a projectile travelling at a given velocity. Historically, values for V50 are determined for a given material using one of two methods. Particularly, the V50 of a given material can be determined through extensive ballistics testing. Such testing is accurate and can be performed regardless of whether the material under test is a single isotropic material or a composite material. However, it is also expensive, time consuming, and can be very complex.
Alternatively, an explicit finite element analysis (FEA) can be performed to predict the V50 of the given material. These types of analyses help to avoid the time, expense, and complexity associated with extensive ballistics testing. However, not only are conventional analytical methods are limited in their accuracy, but have historically proven to be incapable of accommodating complex materials, such as materials that are more complex than single isotropic materials. Moreover, the results obtained using conventional analytical methods have historically been inaccurate when applied to complex materials having a complex shape.